APC Primaries: Aspirants Accuse Party of Imposing Bulkachuwa Because of Court of Appeal President.

As protest continue to mar the outcome of the primaries of the All Progressive Congress across the country, some of the party stalwarts in Bauchi State have added a new twist as to why the party’s chairman, ex-governor Adams Oshiomhole unilaterally substituted the winners of the primaries with defeated candidates.

In Bauchi North Senatorial District like in many other parts of the country, the dust raised by the substitution of the winner of the primary is yet to settle.

Allegations are being made as to why Comrade Oshiomhole substituted the winner, Usman Abubakar Tugga who won in a landslide in six of the seven Local Government Areas with Adamu Bulkachuwa who managed to win in only one Local Government.

According to the new revelations, the substitution of Tugga, the winner of the Senatorial primary in Bauchi North Senatorial District with Bulkachuwa is to buy favour from and appease the Court of Appeal, in order to make Jurists look the other way when election cases eventually gets to the appellate court.

Bulkachuwa, the first District Head of Bulkachuwa, who was born on April 16, 1940 in Bulkachuwa, present day Katagun Local Government Area of Bauchi State is the husband of Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, the President of the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

Aggrieved politicians from Bauchi North Senatorial District have cried out against the injustice. In the result sheet made available to journalists, Bulkachuwa scored 234 in Gamawa LG, while Tugga gannered 20, 096 in the same LG. In Giade LG, Bulkachuwa got 1, 539 while Tugga got 5, 878.

Expectedly, the trio of Ibrahim Abdullahi, Bauchi State Electoral Commissioner; Baba Bukar Usman, Administrative Secretary, INEC, Bauchi State and Ahmed Alhaji Waziri, Ag. HoD, EPM, Bauchi State all signed a document titled: “Summary of Candidates Nominated at Political Party Direct Primary Election Held on 3rd October, 2018”. In the document, Usman Abubakar Tugga, Hon. Hallilu Dauda Jika and Dr. Danjuma Adamu Dabo were the authentic winners of the direct primary in Bauchi North, Central and South respectively.

But in the final analysis, the names of Adamu Bulkachuwa and Lawal Yahaya Gumau were used to replace the original winners, Tugga and Dr. Dabo without any reason for the change.

In a petition to National Headquarters of APC dated October 9, 2018 and titled: “Petition Against Announcement of Adamu Bulkachuwa As Senatorial Candidate for Bauchi North Senatorial District”, Tugga who was in 2011 general elections, a candidate of the CPC in Bauchi State said “….it is with deep shock that after the primary elections, i heard an announcement by the Committee chairman Prof. Ahmed Bakori Mohammed that Adamu Bulkachuwa has been declared the winner”. He demands that justice be done if the party must make headway.

It would be recalled that Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari had on October 7, 2018 lambasted the APC for its undemocratic principles.

In a tweet on her official handle, @aishabuhari, the President’s wife lampooned the APC for denying many aspirants the opportunity to earn the party’s tickets after purchasing the expensive form and campaigning vigorously and rigorously to win the primary.

She added: “given this development, one will not hesitate than dissociate from such unfairness, be neutral and speak for the voiceless”.

Will the leadership allow reason to prevail and correct the injustice done in Bauchi State as in other states?

An aide to Tugga who pleaded anonymity however insist that the injustice especially as it concerns the replacement of Tugga by Bulkachuwa was to cultivate and seek for the favour of the President.